Blizzard
by nebluus
Summary: Oneshot: A run-in with bandits leaves Shirayuki stranded in a blizzard with an injured Obi.
1. Ice

A loud crack sounds through the snowy landscape and her horse panics, rearing up and knocking Shirayuki from the saddle before bolting into the woods, taking the majority of her belongings with it in it's saddle bags. In the confusion Obi's horse attempts to flee after it, but he regains control quickly, then dismounts to help Shirayuki. He ushers her to her feet, one hand pressing into her stomach, pushing her backwards, toward his fidgeting horse, while the other reaches slowly for his knives.

"Take the reins and get on," he tells her, pressing the leather reins into her gloved hands. "Run and don't stop." His voice is low, with an edge to it she doesn't like. He isn't focused on her though, he's watching the three men who had ambushed them, one dismounting from his own horse and two from another. One man riding double snaps a leather whip. It doubtless is struck her horse and caused it to fly into a panic. The weapon immediately sets Shirayuki on edge.

"Obi…" she clutches at his jacket clumsily, the reins of his mare heavy in her hands. Her feet are sliding out from under her in the snow. They stand below their attackers on a slope, having been knocked off the trail they were traveling on. Her satchel of medical supplies, which she never travels without, bumps against her leg heavily as she readjusts her footing, stepping back further into the brush.

"Oi, that's a rather fine looking girl you have there," says the man in the center of the trio, holding a sword far to nice to have been acquired through legal means. "Won't you hand her over nice and quiet?"

Obi's response is to fling one of his knives expertly into a tree behind the man in the middle, grazing his ear. Shirayuki flinches at the soft thudding sound it makes as it strikes the thick bark. A warning shot. The third man, who seemed to only have a dagger on hand, gives a soft whistle.

"He'd fetch a good price too. If we can catch him without killing him," he says casually, eyeing Obi like he's fresh fruit in a market. The middle man rubs his ear, which is dripping blood, and steps forward with his sword brandished.

"Always a market for his type, sure, but I doubt he'd be controllable," he replies, eyes never leaving Obi's. The other one shrugs and turns to the man with the whip.

"What do you think?"

"She's worth at least twice whatever he is, I'd reckon," he responds, readying his whip for another strike. "Just off him and bag the girl."

"Go, Mistress," Obi murmurs. "I'll be behind you shortly."

Shirayuki gulps and nods, trusting in Obi's fighting ability. However, it's obvious he won't have the upper hand in this fight. If she can get away, at least one of them will go after her, balancing out the odds. She thinks of the small poisonous concoction bottled and hidden in her satchel for times like this. There isn't enough to work on all three, but one of them? Yes, she can certainly take one from Obi's hands.

She mounts the mare quick as possible and Obi lunges forward, throwing a knife into the flank of one of the bandits' horses as he does. It rears and screams, bolting in the same direction Shirayuki's horse ran earlier. The mare, now carrying Shirayuki and still flighty, bolts after it. She hears one of the bandits swear and shout to grab his horse, then the sound thundering of hooves behind her as the one with the dagger pursues her with their only other horse. _Good thinking, Obi,_ thinks Shirayuki. Had two bandits chased her on two horses, she would be captured.

As her mare flies over logs and tears through frosty foliage, she scrambles to hold on while fishing around in her satchel for the little vile of poison. Her pursuer rushes after her, his large quarter horse quickly gaining on the smaller mare. Shirayuki uselessly grips the reins of the mare, body pressed against it's neck in an attempt to avoid branches. She shoves her hand through the satchel, feeling for the special side pocket containing the poison. Her fingertips feel cool glass. She grasps the bottle and turns to see her pursuer pulling his arm back to throw his dagger.

It strikes the mare in the neck just inches from Shirayuki's head. It hits its mark with a sickening sound and the horse tumbles forward, sending Shirayuki flying over it's head into the bushes. She lands hard on her back and lays there for a moment, stunned. A rustling in the bushes causes her to gasp and right herself. She stumbles out of the bushes and toward the mare, who is wheezing and braying a few feet from her. The dagger was knocked from it's neck when it fell and is right in front of Shirayuki. She goes to grab it, but a heavy boot lands hard on her fingers, causing her to cry out.

"Got you, little miss," purrs the bandit, smiling devilishly down at her. His boot digs her fingers into the blade, which cuts easily through her glove and into her skin. She clutches her other hand, which still holds the poison, to her stomach, pressing her entire arm as close as she can to herself. The bandit reaches down and grabs her by her hair, pulling her to her feet and making her stand on the tips of her toes.

"God you're cute," he breathes, marveling at Shirayuki's face and hair. She pushes against his chest feebly with her injured hand, keeping the other one pressed tight against her chest, waiting for just the right moment. He laughs at the gesture. She thumbs the cork out of the little vile.

"That won't do much, sweetling," he hoots, leaning his face down close to her's. "You'll have to try harder than that if—" He's abruptly cut off by Shirayuki slapping the entire vile against his face. The delicate glass shatters easily and digs into his skin while the fine powder within spreads in the air around their faces. The bandit lets go of her and shouts in surprise as the glass hits him, stumbling back, clutching his face and wheezing as he inhales the poison.

Shirayuki crouches to the ground, covering her mouth and nose and closing her eyes. She feels desperately around for the dagger and clutches it with both hands when she finds it. She opens her eyes with a wince and lunges at the bandit, striking him hard in the thigh. He howls and slaps her aside with a bloody hand before tripping over his own feet and tumbling down the slope. Shirayuki, unable to tear her stinging eyes away, watches in horror as he flips and tumbles down the rocky hill like a rag-doll, only stopping when he lands hard against a large rock. He doesn't get up.

The mare slowly stops wheezing and lays still along with the bandit. Shirayuki stands shakily and cuts free a saddle bag from the mare's side with the dagger, leaving the one it landed on. The dagger drops from her hand as she turns to struggle back up the slope to find the path she and Obi were traveling on. She only breathes in small gasps, trying not to inhale any of the left over poison and trying not to cry. Her eyes sting and are already tearing up though, making the attempt useless. Once she finds her way back on the path she falls to her knees and bawls into her hands, absently using snow to wipe away any poison that got on her face.

After a few minutes of sniffling and crying, Shirayuki rubs the tears from her cheeks and stands, grounding her feet firmly into the snow. She needs to find Obi quickly. She begins to walk, but pauses, thinking it could be dangerous for her to just go back to the fight. It was doubtless over by now, but what if Obi lost? She tucks the saddle bag and satchel under a bush close by, just in case, and climbs back down the slope. She carefully plucks the dagger from the snow and tucks it into the belt around her coat. There was no way to know how Obi's fight went; she has to be prepared for anything.

A rustling sounds behind her in the thicket. She whips around, pulling the dagger out from her belt and holding it in front of her. But it's only the bandit's quarter horse, searching for it's owner, perhaps. It's head bobs nervously as it smells the blood from the mare and the remaining powdered poison that has settled in the snow.

Shirayuki steps forward slowly, pulling off her gloves lifting her hands up. Her good hand comes to rest on the horse's soft nose, the other grabs the reins.

"Come on," she urges gently, pulling the nervous horse toward the pathway. "You're our horse now, ok?" The quarter horse, a dark brown thing with a black main and tail, follows her with no resistance.

Once they're on the path, Shirayuki rifles through the saddle bags on the horse, finding a bottle of mead, some rather smelly clothes, and a wool blanket in one and jewelry and a bag of filled with different bottles of foreign spices and coins in the other. She tosses out the clothes and some of the larger pieces of heavy jewelry, but hangs onto everything else. She moves all of this to the saddle bag with the blanket, which is now half empty without the clothes, then places the items in Obi's saddle bag into the empty one on the horse. She looks through his things is relieved to find that he has packed plenty of changes of clothes along with another wool blanket, as well as a small bag of hard candy and a flask. She also finds another set of throwing knives and handles them very carefully.

She takes the horse's reins and begins to walk back in the direction she came, searching for signs of her friend.

After a while, she rounds a corner in the path and finds one bandit in a pool of blood, one of Obi's knives sticking out from his neck. The smell hits her hard and she reels back, shocked at how suddenly it hit her. The horse brays and tosses its head, but Shirayuki quickly calms it down and leads it past the dead man. He was the one who held the whip. Shirayuki slinks quickly past him, trying desperately not to vomit and murmuring softly to her horse.

"O-obi?" She calls softly. Where is he? What about the bandit with the sword? A stick snaps down the path, from the direction she had just walked. She whips around so quickly she almost slips, only to see Obi staggering from the brush.

"I'm here, Mistress," he said hoarsely. "I thought I told you to run." He falls to one knee with a moan, clutching his right side. Blood flows between his fingers and runs down his leg. Shirayuki rushes over to him and grabs hold of him as he begins to list forward, threatening to fall face-first into the snow. He buries his face in her shoulder and they both sink to the ground with Obi practically laying in Shirayuki's lap.

"I wasn't going to just leave you, Obi. Now let me see the wound," Shirayuki sit back, cradling Obi against her as she pulls his hand away from his side. His fingers are like ice. His labored breath burns hot against her neck.

She gently opens his bloodied coat and lifts his clothes away from the injury. It is a long gash, starting at right his hip and ending at the left side of his ribcage.

"The one with the whip caught me," Obi breathes in sharply, teeth clenched in pain. He breathes out slowly, shakily. "I put a knife in him, but it was a just enough of a window for the other to take a swipe at me. Still got the best of him though." He smirks a little bit, but it mostly looks like a grimace.

This was a bad injury, not one she could treat properly with only the supplies of her satchel. She reaches into her pocket to find her handkerchief. She tucks Obi more firmly against her and uses both hands to awkwardly fold the handkerchief and press it against the deepest part of the gash. It would be difficult to bandage him properly in this position, yet she also did not want to lay him down expose his body the the cold ground more than necessary. After a moment of deliberation she she pulls his bloodied shirt back down and closes his coat.

Shirayuki notices for the first time bright red marks around his neck and jaw, where the whip must have struck him. She runs a hand gently across the marks, they're not serious, but they'll have to be treated too. Obi leans into her touch with a soft moan.

"Obi," she murmurs softly, taking his right hand and pressing it against his side. "Keep your hand here, ok?" He nods weakly. "We need to find shelter so I can treat you. Can you stand?" He nods again and sits himself up with a wince. Shirayuki slings his left arm over her shoulder and slowly helps him to his feet.

"It's not too bad, Mistress," he wheezes out. "I've taken worse hits." She nods in agreement, thinking of the scar running across his chest. He would survive this. So would she.

"Do you remember that abandoned looking cabin we passed earlier?" she asks.

"Ah, I do," he replies, eyebrows scrunching together. "Where are our horses?"

"The mare is dead and I don't know what happened to mine," Shirayuki tells him remorsefully. "We do have him though." She nods to the quarter horse, who is watching them patiently. Obi blinks at the beast in surprise.

"He's going to bring us to that cabin," Shirayuki decides. "We still had several hours of riding before reaching the next town, but that cabin is relatively close. It's our best bet to find shelter." Obi nods in agreement and Shirayuki turns her face to the sky. It's mid-afternoon, but the sky is dark with clouds which threaten to drop snow on them at any moment. Obi looks up as well, face grim.

"We ought to get going, then," he says.

Getting Obi onto the horse is a bit of a trial, but he only slips once and when he does he bites back a cry. He makes it up on the second try and once on he droops against Shirayuki, who is already sitting in front, with an exhausted groan.

"Are you doing alright?" she asks nervously, touching his knee and trying to peak at him over her shoulder. He's breathing heavily.

"I'll live," he rasps out in response. His head is resting on her shoulder. "Do you mind if I'm like this, Mistress? I don't think I can keep my head up anymore."

"Lean on me all you need, Obi," Shirayuki says softly. She reaches up to pet his hair and he wraps an arm around her waist; the other is around his own bleeding stomach. She flicks the reins of the horse and urges it forward, back in the direction they had already traveled.

Shirayuki sets their horse to a trot as they travel along the snowy path. It's a little bit bumpy for Shirayuki's liking, especially with Obi injured and clinging to her, but she can't keep him out in the cold for too long. He's gone unnaturally still, but from his vice-like grip on her waist, she knows he's still conscious.

They travel in stony silence for about an hour. Snow begins to fall and the wind starts to pick up. On the hilly horizon she can just make out a grey speck at the edge of the forest.

"There it is!" she breathes the words into the icy air. "Hang on just a little longer, Obi." She places a hand over the one clutching her waist, running her thumb over the dry skin of his knuckles. She urges the horse into a full gallop, hoping that the horse won't tire before they get to the little cabin.

The wood of the cabin has turned grey in the elements, but all the windows and the roof are all still intact. Shirayuki climbs down first, careful not to bump Obi with her foot as she slides it carefully past him. Normally the one in back would get off first, but she's worried he'll fall. He mutters that he'll be fine, but his words are a bit slurred from exhaustion and blood-loss and when he's sitting up on his own, up atop the horse, he sways dangerously.

He manages to haul himself up and swing a leg over the horse's side, but his grip is not firm and Shirayuki's fear comes true. Thankfully she's there to catch him, even if it means she ends up practically pinned between Obi, who is very heavy, and the cabin. He lets out a long groan, trying to sink to the ground, but Shirayuki won't let him.

"Come on, just a few more steps," she tucks herself against his right side and wraps her arm around his slim waist. His left hand clutches at his side and his right arm instinctively wraps around Shirayuki.

They teeter inside, leaving the horse in the snow for the moment, and she sits him down on a creaky but sturdy chair she finds. Shirayuki then goes back out for the horse, but the beast refuses to enter the cabin as well.

"You'll freeze to death out here!" she tells it, tugging on the reins. It nickers and tugs back, effectively pulling them from her cold hands. Shirayuki sighs angrily and gives up; Obi's injuries are more important then the horse's life, though she feels guilty about leaving it in the weather. She quickly unhooks the saddle bags from either side of the horse, then tugs off the saddle and reins.

"Thanks for the help," she says sadly as she closes the door.

She turns to Obi, who is slumped over in his chair, about to fall off. She goes over and sits him back up while surveying the single room cabin. There's an old table next to them, then to the left there is an open space and a fireplace. There's a good sized stack of wood next to the fireplace and Shirayuki thanks all the gods she can think of for their luck.

"Obi, can I have one of your knives?" she asks, crouching in front of him. He nods and tugs one free from his belt, deft fingers twirling it so that the handle is facing her. She takes it and tosses some logs into the fireplace, coughing as ash and dust fly up. She pulls a loose brick from the side of the fireplace and strikes it with the knife, effectively creating a small fire which soon turns into a steady blaze.

Next, she pulls the blanket from the bandit's saddle bag, folds it in half and lays it out next to the fire. She takes off the sweater she's wearing over her traveling clothes and makes it into a makeshift pillow, then she helps up Obi and guides him to the little bed.

He practically collapses as he kneels down and it takes all of Shirayuki's strength to keep him from landing too heavily. She grips his shoulders and supports his head, leaning him back slowly. One of her knees is tucked under him just a bit, helping to support his back and keep Shirayuki from hurting her's. She has to readjust his legs and hips so they're properly on the blanket, and once she's satisfied she quickly goes about removing all his damp, bloody clothes.

The coat comes off easily enough, as does his belt and shoes, but the blood on his shirt has started to dry and is sticking to his skin. She ends up cutting it open and tugging it off in pieces; it's already torn to shreds from the sword, so there's not much point in saving it. His pants are covered in blood and are caked with ice but they come off without too much hassle. He's wearing a pair of thin leggings under the pants and the blood causes stick to his skin. She quickly grabs the other blanket and lays it over top of him before working on those.

She reaches under the blanket and searches for his hips, reaching her fingers under the fabric of the leggings, along with his undergarments, which are also completely bloodied.

"Lift your hips a bit, please," she tells Obi. He complies with a soft grunt, brow furrowing from the pain the movement causes. She has to peal the leggings from him, but they come off with a bit of effort. She covers his legs with the blanket and tosses her coat over that for good measure.

With her patient thoroughly naked and everything but his torso covered against the cold, she sets to work pealing away the handkerchief and cleaning the injury. It's a slow process, but she uses some drinking water she had in her satchel to clean away the blood. Once that was done she pulls from her satchel a small needle and some medical thread she keeps in a vile like the one that held her poison. There wasn't enough to properly suture the whole injury, but only the part closest to his hip was deep enough to need stitching anyway.

Before settling down next to Obi to get started, she pulls the flask from Obi's saddle bag and brings it to him.

"What's in here, Obi?" she asks as she opens the flask. He moans as he tries to collect his thoughts. She notes with worry that although his skin is ashen, his cheeks are flushed deeply and a sheen of sweat is on his brow, despite the biting cold. _He's likely running a fever,_ she thinks.

"…Some kind of alcohol?" Obi tries to sit up, confused by the question, but falls back down, too weak to hold himself up. Shirayuki catches his head in one hand and lifts the alcohol to his lips.

"I have to give you some stitches," she explains when he gives her a confused and rather pained look. That's all she has to say though, Obi clearly understands the rest. He grabs the flask from her hand and takes a good swig. Shirayuki wishes she had some proper anesthetic herbs with her, but the only supplies she has are for small first aide instances, like burns and cuts. Not large gashes from swords. She sets his head back down on the bed and takes back the flask. She puts it down well within his reach. Obi tosses an arm over his eyes and takes a shaky breath and Shirayuki begins stitching his wound.

Obi doesn't make a whole lot of noise as Shirayuki carefully works. His head rolls from side to side, breath ragged, but he bites back his screams. Half way through his breathing becomes much harsher and he lets out a long cry, back arching from the pain. Shirayuki pauses in her work and rubs his chest gently, coaxing him back down. She gives him more alcohol and pries his stiff fingers from the fists they made in the blanket.

Toward the end he finally passes out, body shuddering once then going limp. Shirayuki is quick to check his pulse, but it's beating rapidly. It slows down to a more normal pace after a few minutes. Satisfied that he's alright, Shirayuki makes the last few sutures.

She uses the cleaner half of his ruined shirt to mop up the sweat and fresh blood from his body then rubs a soothing salve over the length of his injury, as well as on the welts forming on his neck from the whip. Next is the tricky part. First she lays down some gauze over the bleeding area, then uses a roll of linen bandages to wrap the wound.

Of course, to properly wrap the injury she has to sit him up. Normally there would be a group of people to do this; two to keep the patient propped up and well supported and two to quickly pass the linens back and forth around the patient, quickly and efficiently bandaging the wound in only a few short minutes. However Shirayuki is not four people; just one herbalist with a very tough job on her hands.

She starts behind Obi's head, carefully lifting him by his shoulders and scooting herself underneath him so that his full weight leaning against her. However this position causes him to slouch badly and she could barely get her hands between his body and hers to wrap the linen, so instead she ends up between his legs with his head resting over her shoulder and the weight of his chest and arms all on her chest and arms. Her head is neatly tucked on his very broad shoulder, making it very difficult to see what she is doing, but this job can be accomplished with feel alone for someone experienced, and experienced she certainly is.

She winds the bandages around him quickly, feeling where each one lays in order to make sure there are no openings. It goes well for a while, but Obi is very heavy and Shirayuki doesn't have the stamina to hold him for very long. She tries to readjust him to her other shoulder, but ends up losing her grip on his bare skin.

Obi's limp body promptly falls backward, causing Shirayuki to yelp in surprise and lunge for him. She catches his head and keeps him from hitting the ground too hard, but she's also practically lying on top of him. She sets him down carefully and scrambles to remove herself from him, quickly pulling the blanket over him back into place, as it slid down just a bit too far when she jumped forward.

The process has to be repeated, but this time she holds him up on her other shoulder. She ties the bandages and slowly lays Obi back down, panting and huffing from the exertion.

"Obi," Shirayuki says to him sternly, giving a tuft of his dark hair a small and vengeful tug, "You're heavy."

He's also very pale and probably very cold. She digs around in the saddle bags for a change of clothes and wrestles them onto him. It's an easier process than pulling the icy, blood covered clothes off, but when she gets to his pants she gives up on keeping him covered, as the blanket only seems to get in the way.

She surveys her work once Obi's clothed and covered in his blanket. He doesn't look peaceful by any stretch, but he looks warmer and less pained than before. She pulls a few herbs from her satchel and begins mixing a painkiller for when he wakes. She doesn't have anything that could possibly be strong enough to rid him completely of the pain, but any relief is better than none.

She sits back when she's done, then notices that she is adequately freezing. Her clothes are soaked with blood and water from the melted snow. She has no clothes of her own to change into, so she rummages around in the saddle bags to find something of Obi's to wear.

"Sorry, Obi," she says over to his still form, "But I need some fresh clothes too."

She finds a tunic in a dark shade of brown and a pair of black leggings. She also steals a pair of stockings from him, as her socks and boots are soaked as well. The tunic fits her like a bag and the leggings and stockings aren't much better, but she's certainly warmer now than she was before.

By this point it is well into the night and Shirayuki is completely exhausted. She realizes that she still has to treat her hand, which was injured by the dagger, but the bleeding stopped a while ago and she can move all her fingers just fine. She decides to leave it for the time being and get some rest instead. A log or two is placed in the fire, then Shirayuki slides under the blanket next to Obi, keeping him between her and the fireplace.

His feverish body is nothing short of a furnace and she presses up against him, shuddering at the sudden temperature change. She supposes she ought to be embarrassed by the closeness of their bodies, but she can't bring herself to care at this point. She tucks her face into his shoulder and closes her eyes. She begins to drift off, but wakes herself up with a thought.

Carefully she slides a hand down Obi's arm, searching for his wrist. She checks his pulse, counting the beats and seconds carefully. It's a bit slow, but not anything to be afraid of. Satisfied, she settles against him, drifting off to sleep quickly.

Hours later she wakes to the sound of Obi's harsh breathing. The fire has almost died completely and the cabin is pitch black, save for the glowing embers in the hearth. Shirayuki removes herself from the warmth of the bed to relight the fire. Once able to see, she finds where she left the painkiller she made earlier and brings it to Obi. She mixes it with the last of the water and sits him up as best she can. He moans, but takes the bitter liquid. She lays him back down and strokes a hand over his brow and through his hair, repeating the motion until the medication kicks in and he falls back into an exhausted and feverish sleep.

"I suppose I need to refill this," she murmurs, lifting the empty canteen. She stands and pulls on her boots and coat, then slips out the door. She hardly has to move a step from the cabin to stuff snow into the canteen to melt, but the wind bites at her face and buffets her body violently, making it near impossible to orient herself in the cold night. It's just as dark outside as it was in the cabin, but the dull, orange glow of the window is enough to help her find a spot of snow she can easily reach. She stuffs the canteen full until her fingers go numb from the cold, then quickly goes for the knob of the door. It twists, but she has to kick the door in order to get it to open.

Shirayuki stumbles back inside, shaking violently, and kicks off her boots, tripping over them as she moves toward the fire with the canteen. She sets it down in front of the blaze, nearly dropping it as her fingers are completely numb with cold. She holds her hands as close as possible to the fire, whimpering when they begin to get their feeling back and begin to sting. She puts her hands into fists, then opens them again, wincing at the pain. She does the motion again, then a third time, trying to get the blood flowing back into her fingertips.

"Mistress," softly behind her, Obi stirs and looks at her with dull eyes.

"Did I wake you, Obi?" she asks, turning toward him. "I'm sorry." He shakes his head slowly, reaching a hand out to her. She takes his hand, so hot it burns, in her's, confusion evident in her expression. He takes her fingers and shapes them into a fist then wraps his hand around her's, with her icy fingers tucked against his palm.

"That will warm you," he murmurs.

"Thank you," she says with a small smile. He smiles back, gold eyes tired but warm as melting gold in the firelight as he watches her expression. She scoots closer to him so he doesn't have to hold his arm up and lets him hold her hand for a while. She tucks her other hand under her neck to warm it in the same fashion. His hand is large enough to almost completely cover her's. She stares at it, admiring the tendons and bones as they shift around her hand.

"You've had your knuckles broken." She's examining his hand; some of his fingers don't bend in quite the right direction, and there are tiny scars all over his knuckles.

"Really? I didn't know it."

"Really now," she insists. "It looks like they were broken and never properly treated." She doesn't like that Obi never seemed to treat his injuries when he was young, no matter their seriousness. The thought a bit frightening, in truth.

"Ohh," he drawls softly, a little smile playing over his pale lips. "How irresponsible of me."

"Obi," she chides softly, her other hand finds its way to his face, running gently over his brow, then cupping his cheek. "You need to take better care of yourself. If Zen and I lose you we'll be heartbroken, understand?"

"I understand, Mistress." His voice softens and he closes his eyes. His head tilts slowly into her hand, like he's almost unsure if he should. She swears his fingers tighten around her's, just a little bit.

They stay like that for a while longer. Shirayuki runs her thumb over Obi's cheekbone softly, hoping the motion will coax him to sleep. Eventually Obi does fall asleep and as he does his grip on her loosens. She takes her hand back and tucks his under the blankets, then removes her coat, which she had been too cold take off earlier, and places it over him. She moves to the other side of the bed and settles down by his side, once again keeping Obi between herself and the fire, where it is warmest.

She dreams of swords through stomachs and falling helplessly down an endless snowy slope. She dreams she's being enveloped in fire, shrieking for her friends, only to find that she is entirely alone.

Shirayuki wakes with a start, drenched in sweat and teary eyed. She turns to Obi, whose fever is still raging. He breathes shallowly and sweat pricks at his brow, just as it is her's. His forehead is even hotter than it was the night before. She cups his burning cheek in her hand.

"I might blame you for that second dream," she whispers, figuring that his feverish body warmed her's a bit to much.

She climbs from the bed and holds in a whimper as her feet touch the floor of the cabin; she can feel the cold through her borrowed stockings. The floor is covered in frost everywhere except around the fireplace. She tip-toes over to the pile of wood and plucks a few pieces from it, dancing back and forth on her feet. The pieces are rushed to the fireplace and placed on the burning embers. It takes her a long moment to rekindle the flame.

The fire blazes warmly and Shirayuki peers out the window. It's completely white out there; she can't even see the path they had traveled they day before. The wind sends ghosts of snow flying over the drifts. The snowfall is so thick the forest surrounding the cabin is almost impossible to see. The sky is still a dark grey. She gulps nervously, not liking the weather combined with their few supplies.

"The wind will settle down soon," she rationalizes to herself, breath fogging the window pane. "The clouds will clear up and then we'll continue our travels."

But they had no horse. Obi wouldn't be able to walk to the next town. Shirayuki didn't think she would be able to either, even without injuries of any kind. It was just too dangerous in the snow.

She lifts Obi's coat from the chair she had slung it over to dry. It's completely stiff with dried blood and there are little twigs and dead leaves caught in the fur lining of his hood. She settles down in front of the fire, partially sitting on the blankets, to stitch the hole that runs across the front. She has some regular sewing thread and a needle in her satchel along with medical versions, so she uses that to pass the time and take her mind off the raging storm.

However the hole is eventually closed and Shirayuki is once again left to her thoughts.

The sky is so dark she cannot tell what time of day it is. She also can't see more than a few feet outside the window. She tries eating some of the hard candies that Obi had stashed in the saddle bag, but it's not enough to stave off her hunger. The candies are also cinnamon flavored, so much so that they actually burn her mouth a little bit. She only manages to eat a couple out of sheer hunger, then begins to feel nauseous and has to stop.

The room slowly becomes darker and darker and she's becoming more and more anxious with each passing minute. She feels very small and very helpless.

After a while Obi stirs again, but his fever hasn't gotten any better. She gives him what's left of the painkiller she made and unwraps his bandages. He's able to hold himself up just long enough for her to get them all off, then collapses back onto the blanket. Shirayuki tries to catch him, but she's not fast enough this time.

"I'm so sorry, Obi," she says softly, trying to keep frustrated tears at bay. She cradles his head, practically laying on top of him in her attempt to stop his fall. A tear falls onto his cheek and he reaches a shaky hand up to her face, wiping away its trail.

"It's alright," he rasps, hand falling heavily back to his side. She quickly sits herself back up and begins her work again. His only movements are the labored rise and fall of his chest as he works for each breath. She dabs away the old salve and applies a fresh coat. He's barely able to sit up a second time, but she's faster with the bandages and she helps him lay down as carefully as she can. Pulling his shirt on while he's laying down isn't a terribly hard feat and when she's done with that she curls up next to him on top of the blankets. This time she's between Obi and the fire. She needs to move to his other side so that he stays warm enough, but she can't muster the strength or motivation to move. Instead she places her head on his chest, right over his heart, and counts each steady beat until she falls asleep.

Her dreams are the same as they were the night before, but this time she wakes up slowly, shaking and stiff from the cold and with tears in her eyes. She tries to sit up, but finds that at some point in the night Obi wrapped an arm around her. She moves carefully, so as to not disturb him, and places his arm back under the blankets. It's still dark outside, though she really doesn't know if it's because the sun hasn't risen yet or if the clouds are still hanging over them. She pulls logs from the pile, which was also beginning to run low, and lights the fire once more.

She gently prods at Obi until he wakes and gives him some water. He falls back asleep almost immediately. She crawls back into bed on the proper side and watches the windows, knowing that she'll probably not sleep. Her hand finds his again, checking his pulse, but instead of pulling her hand away, she winds her fingers around his.

She does sleep, to her surprise, and it is a very deep and dreamless sleep. It's the sort that is fueled by exhaustion. Her whole body feels heavy, as if it is laden with ice and slowly freezing completely over.

Then Shirayuki is woken very suddenly to the sound of the door being forced open. A sharp bang rattles the rickety cabin's shingles as someone's foot connects solidly with the ice-covered wood. She scrambles out of bed, grabbing the dagger and kneeling in front of Obi with it pointed at the door.

"Hey!" someone shouts. It's a man's voice. Shirayuki's hands shake violently. "Is someone in here?"

"Is someone in here?" another voice repeats. This voice is much younger. She's frozen in her spot though. Obi hasn't stirred at all, which frightens her.

"There's a girl in there, papa!" a third voice shouts this excitedly, causing Shirayuki's head to swivel quickly toward the window where it is coming from. "She looks scared to heck." There's the figure of a hooded child peering in through the glazed and frosty window, looking right at her. Someone, the man most likely, gives the door another hard kick, causing Shirayuki to cringe as the abused door flies open. Unfiltered sunlight pours into the little cabin and a very large man in a fur coat steps through.

"A girl there is indeed," he says, looking surprised. "Are you lost, miss?" Shirayuki shakes her head 'no'. She knows exactly where she is and where she needs to go.

"Caught in the blizzard, then?" She nods this time, not daring to breathe, not lowering the dagger.

"Do you need help?" Shirayuki past the man to the door, two wide-eyed children are poking their heads in curiously. She lowers her dagger and nods.

"M-my friend is hurt." A hand raises shakily, pointing behind her to Obi. "There were bandits…" She trails off, feeling lightheaded. She plops onto the ground and sets the dagger carefully next to her.

"Please help us," she begs.

* * *

Waking up is an exhausting thing to do, what with the heavy warmth that surrounds the body and soft, familiar sounds in the background, however blocked by cotton they seem to be. Consciousness is a nebulous thing that does not stay for long, much like the wind. Sometimes the noises are sharp, but only for an instant before the warmth makes them cottony and the heaviness of the body makes it impossible to wish to be awake at all.

However, a very deep ache begins to grow in Obi's stomach, which soon turns into a steady burn.

He opens his eyes slowly, flinching only slightly as pure, white light shines in from a window, illuminating the whole room twofold from the snowy landscape. His eyes adjust slowly, everything goes in and out of focus and sounds grow dull before becoming almost painfully sharp.

When he get's his bearings, Obi realizes that the familiar sounds he hears are children playing outside his window. He then realizes that the warmth he has been feeling is a bed. His last memory is of the ice cold floor of a small and dark cabin in a stormy field, not a warm room and warm bed, so where is he?

An attempt at sitting up is quickly squashed by the pain in his stomach, which went from a rather bearable burn to a very sharp unmistakable pain with the movement. He flops heavily back onto his pillow, but regrets that too, as his neck is very sore, and his stitches do not appreciate the jostling. He lets out a frustrated and pained moan, not liking how weak and vulnerable he is.

He tries to think carefully of everything that happened and how he could have ended up in such a comfortable bed, but he's drawing blanks. However the most serious matter is that his mistress is nowhere to be seen, which worries and frustrates him even more.

"Shira—" No, no. "Mistress?" His voice is pathetically soft and raspy and he highly doubts anyone could have heard it, even if they were standing only a few feet from his bed. However the door is suddenly open and a woman Obi does not know strides in, carrying a pile of what appears to be his clothes paying him and his surprised stare no mind whatsoever. She glances over to him, meeting his eyes with a steady unperturbed gaze, then lets out a soft huff.

"So you're awake then?" She eyes him up and down carefully and Obi choses to stay silent. She places the clothing at the foot of the bed and gives the pile a good pat.

"You're clothes were bloodied up terribly, so I set about washing them for you while you rested." She nods her head toward the door. "The little thing you were with is making dinner currently, but she'll be your's when she's done." She turns and leaves the room just as abruptly as she came, and with just as much purpose.

Moments later the loud thudding of feet on stairs reaches his ears and then his lovely mistress is bursting through the door, looking relieved and entirely disheveled. She rushes to his bedside, face flushed as she kneels down so that she's at his eye level.

"Obi! I'm so glad you're alright!" Her hand touches his forehead with no reservation, causing his heart to leap in surprise. "Your fever's gone down quite a bit. Do you want to sit up?" He nods and she helps him into a sitting position. Holding himself up is hard, but she quickly tucks another soft pillow behind his back and helps him settle down. Then she's moving to sit on the side of the bed, tilting his head left and right and murmuring about the bruises on his neck. He sits quietly as she examines him and enjoys watching her face as she concentrates. However he recalls something the woman said from earlier, and figures it's important enough to bring up.

"Miss?" he asks, hating how raspy he sounds, but her attention is immediately his. "A woman came in here a moment ago and said you were cooking." Her eyes widen and her mouth makes an 'O' shape, like she completely forgot that she had a previous engagement before rushing to see him.

"That's right, I guess I need to go watch the pot." Shirayuki stands, fixing her skirt, which is not one he recognizes. Her shirt, however… "I'll be back in a few minutes with some food for you, okay?"

He nods owlishly, a bit distracted by what she's wearing. His meager response is enough for her though and she quickly leaves the room.

Obi stares blankly at the ceiling, trying to make sense of his mistress's attire. But the whole ordeal from their fight with the bandits up until this point is a hazy and painful blur to him, so he cannot for the life of him figure out why Shirayuki feels the need to wear one of his shirts rather than one of her own. Not that he's complaining; there's something very satisfying about seeing her small frame in his clothing.

Shirayuki returns to the room a moment later with a bowl of something amazing smelling in either hand, both wrapped neatly in hand towels so that they can hold on without burning their fingers. She hands Obi one, who is very happy to discover that it is soup, then sets her's down on a small nightstand next to the bed before rummaging around in a set of saddle bags he doesn't recognize. Confused, Obi tries to sit up better to see what she's doing, but the pain in his stomach returns and he sinks back into the pillows with a soft but irritated grunt. Shirayuki hears him and turns back to the bed.

"Stay still, Obi," she says with a small laugh. "You're not healed yet, so take it slow. If you become any weaker I might have to spoon feed you."

"Hmm? That might not be so bad," Obi muses, offering Shirayuki the bowl so that she can feed him. She huffs softly at him and plops down on the bed next to him, completely ignoring the offered bowl. Instead she pulls out a small piece of folded paper, which contains ground up herbs when she opens it.

"Thankfully they have lots of dried medicine stored here for the winter." She reaches for a glass of water on the nightstand that Obi hadn't noticed before and dumps the powder into it. "I traded the spices I took from the bandits for them. Drink this with the soup; it's a relatively strong painkiller."

"You stole from the bandits?" His mistress amazes him more and more with each day. "What a devilish thing you are, Mistress! But how will we ever tell Master that his love is a thief?" Shirayuki looks away in embarrassment as Obi chuckles at her.

"The spices were only in the saddle bag of the horse I took," she tries to defend herself, but realizes that she also stole a horse from the bandits. "They scared off my horse and killed your's, so its fair!" Obi laughs softly and lets her have the argument, since he figures he's flustered her enough. He begins to eat his soup, then a thought occurs to him.

"How did you escape if they killed my horse?" Shirayuki pauses as she lifts her spoon to her mouth, then then sets it back down as she shifts her gaze away, looking uncomfortable.

"I had a special powder with me that stings your eyes and nose and, if inhaled, makes it impossible to breathe," she explains, not meeting his eyes. "I used it, and when the bandit inhaled it he tripped and fell down the slope." Obi nods slowly.

"I see," he says. He's about to say more, but Shirayuki interjects.

"What _would_ Zen say?" Her fingers clutch her bowl tightly, trembling.

"I think," he begins, catching a stray tear on her cheek with his index finger. "Master would be relieved that you came prepared." She doesn't move, eyes downcast.

"I basically killed him, Obi," she states softly. He takes her chin in his hand and tilts her head up so that she's forced to look at him.

"And I killed two others. If that fool couldn't keep his feet under him then it's his own fault, not your's."

She tries to protest further, but Obi continues: "If you hadn't done what you did, either I would have ended his life or you would have been taken instead. This was the best possible outcome; Master would agree." She sighs, knowing he's right, and gives up.

"If I had been taken and sold you would have died for sure." Her hand brushes carefully against his abdomen, where he was injured. Her touch burns, but in the best way imaginable.

"That's true. My memory's sort of hazy, but thinking back, you did a lot more work than I, didn't you?"

"Hardly, Obi. I just did what I could." But her face brightens a bit at the change of subject, so he continues.

"No really! I just got the crap beaten out of me; you managed to find us a new horse, find shelter, and treat my injury. All in a blizzard, no less!" He laughs and digs into his soup again. "Wait till I tell master how brave you were, he'll be so mad he didn't get to adventure with us and see you in action." She laughs at this.

"Stop Obi!" She gives his shoulder a very gentle shove, then continues eating her soup as well. "It's too bad he wasn't there, though; had he been along, bandaging you would have been a lot easier."

"Really?"

"Yeah; pulling off all your clothes and holding you up to wrap your wound was really difficult. You're heavy." Her eyes dart to the side when she mentions his clothes.

"Miss, you undressed me completely?" Oh, does her face turn red.

"I had to! You were covered in blood!" Shirayuki shovels soup into her mouth, desperately looking anywhere but at Obi.

"Did you enjoy the view?"

She chokes on the soup. Obi tries hard not to laugh and pats her back.

"Of course I didn't! You were practically bleeding to death!" she sputters, swatting his hand away.

"Sorry, sorry. The joke was in bad taste."

"I tried to keep you covered as best as I could; it was so cold…" she trails off, staring blankly at her soup, clearly exhausted from choking.

"I remember that much; it was freezing," Obi agrees. "Mmm, going back to clothes, Mistress, why are you wearing my shirt?" She all but squeaks at the question, and looks down at the offending garment.

"I lost my clothes when I was knocked from my horse." She tugs at his shirt, which is far to baggy for her. It's tucked into her skirt though, making her waist look absolutely tiny.

"You didn't borrow a shirt from the people we're staying with?"

"Ah—I didn't want to be a inconvenience them!" Her face is red again and she eats her soup, determined to finish it.

"Whatever you say, Mistress," Obi murmurs as he lifts his spoon to his mouth as well, effectively hiding a small smile. He can't wait to tell Master about this.

They finish their soup and sit together, talking about nothing in particular, then falling into silence. The sun sets slowly, turning the room gold, then red, then dark. Obi finds himself dozing and soon Shirayuki settles down on the bed next to him, as it's large enough for two people. She curls up on top of the covers with an extra quilt and falls very quickly asleep, in the way that she's wont to do. Obi wonders if it's alright for them to be so close, but realizes that they probably slept flush against one another in the iciness of the cabin. He's a bit disappointed that he missed that.

He does, however, recall a moment when she ran her fingers across his forehead and stroked his cheek. Never in his life had he been so gently touched and to see and feel her so close to him, to have her fingers touch him so gently, he's grateful. He wonders if Shirayuki knows that he was aware enough to remember, but he decides he won't bring it up. He'll treasure that memory forever, not daring to speak even a whisper of it to anyone. Slowly, with the ache in his stomach never fully leaving, but the warmth of Shirayuki's body a comfort, Obi sleeps too. It's very deep and also dreamless, but he feels far warmer than he has in what feels like an eternity.


	2. Snow

Obi has learned from experience to not trust farm wives. They are very strong and unyielding women who are really the ones running the farms and keeping everything functioning while their husbands are away in the fields. They do not like odd men hanging around their sheep and they do not like odd men taking up temporary residence in their barns. Farm wives wrangle children and animals and are not afraid to use their pitchforks on things that are not hay. Currently one of these intense and terrifying women is standing before him and eyeing him disdainfully, not content to have a man who has obviously not bathed in several days to be laying around in her home.

 _She's not wrong to be upset,_ Obi thinks, eyes darting uncertainly over to Shirayuki, who is having an intense stare-down with the wall she's standing next to. Obi agrees that he smells rather awful and honestly he could also use a good shave. (Though, really, he can't grow a beard to save his life. Patchy stubble is just very irritating.)

His attention quickly turns back to the farm wife, who is now tugging the warm blankets off his very sore and tired body and urging him to stand up.

"You need a bath," she states mildly, though he's certain there's a threat in there somewhere. "Up you get." Shirayuki is quickly by his side, helping him stand, though he catches her nose wrinkle out of the corner of his eye. _Sorry, Miss,_ he apologizes mentally, pretending he did not see for both their sakes.

"Ahh, so how are we going about this exactly?" he asks the two women, who look between one another. "I don't think I can get in and out of a tub myself, but if your husband could help…"

"My husband is out working, so she and I will be bathing you," the farm wife says curtly, nodding to Shirayuki. She turns to exit the guest room, not waiting for them to limp along behind her.

"We can't wait?" He feels a little panic rise up from his gut. "It's close to evening isn't it? He'll be back soon, right?" Obi does not like to be vulnerable, and he does not like to be bathed while he's vulnerable. Right now, he thinks, eyeing the farm wife's long strides and strong arms, he is very vulnerable. He'd take the stranger who found him and his Mistress over this woman, knowing full well that he would give Obi his privacy and simply keep a close eye on him, rather than roughly scrub him down in the way most farm wives are wont to do with their children.

"I'm tired of smelling you every time I walk past that room. It can't wait."

A small and rather helpless moan finds its way up Obi's throat. Shirayuki gives his side a very gentle squeeze.

"We'll be careful, Obi," she reassures him. "I know you're in a lot of pain, but bathing in warm water will help it. I'll make sure you're comfortable." Pain is high on Obi's mind, as he's feeling it all over, but there's another issue with this set-up that is much more inappropriate and worrisome than that.

"Miss, surely you won't be helping?" He practically chokes on the words. He knows she's already seen him at his worst, but second to being injured and dying in a blizzard is being injured, buck naked, and scrubbed near to death by a woman he's only just met.

Shirayuki can't possibly want to witness that.

Obi does not want her to witness that.

The farm wife (Obi really needs to ask for her name when he and the Miss are alone) opens the door to a small stone-tiled bathroom before Shirayuki has the chance to answer him. Steam pours out of the door and clouds Obi's vision as he and Shirayuki make their way inside. There's a tub barely big enough for one person to fit in the middle, filled with water that smells vaguely like some familiar herbs.

With no warning Obi's shirt is tugged over his head. He lifts his arms instinctively to let the garment off easily, but he's blinking owlishly in surprise from the sudden swift removal of his tunic. Even Shirayuki is looking rather shocked.

"Pants next," the farm wife instructs, pointing at Obi's legs. His shirt is in her hand. A tug at his hip causes him to turn his attention to Shirayuki, who has stepped away from his side and is now standing in front of him, face red but determined looking.

"There's no way you can bend over properly," she says, "so I'll pull them down for you."

When she takes hold of his trousers Obi looks franticly over at the farm wife, who will doubtless steal his pants from him with no problem and with none of the very awkward feelings. However she's busying herself with soaps and towels and is paying the pair absolutely no mind.

"While being undressed by you is certainly a treat, I'm sure I can do it, Miss," he tells her, trying to push her hands away. "Just hold me for balance?" She raises an eyebrow but nods and puts a hand on either one of his shoulders while he shakily unhooks the buttons of his trousers. He hopes it's fatigue that's making him tremble.

"Miss?" Her head jerks up. _Was she watching?_ "You don't have to help. I imagine seeing me… naked might be a bit… uncomfortable? Master wouldn't—"

"Obi…" she sighs, face bright as her hair but resolute in expression. "I… I've already seen you naked, so it's not that big of a deal. Getting your clothes off is the hardest part, so lets do it quickly, ok?"

Oh. Yes. She certainly has seen him naked before, hasn't she?

He even teased her about it, didn't he?

However, at that time, he was unconscious and therefore shameless, and also dying, which gave the situation just a bit of urgency. That, and he has no memory of being naked at all. It's an easy thing to simply disassociate with the event when there's no memory of it. Not to mention that treating an injury is one thing, but being bathed by a young woman he happens to be hopelessly in love with is quite another.

"Are his pants off?" The wife comes back over, standing ominously behind Obi. Noticing that his pants are still very much on, she huffs.

"I'll lift him, you pull them off." Both Obi and Shirayuki make confused noises and she sighs and shoots at Shirayuki, "You do this for a living don't you? Do the people at the capital not get injured and need bathing?"

First Shirayuki looks surprised, then very thoroughly miffed. Obi's eyebrows raise.

"Of course," she says fiercely, grabbing Obi's pants on either side. "Lets get these off."

The yelp that comes from Obi's mouth is embarrassingly high pitched, but he can't help it. He's very suddenly lifted by his armpits into the air and he feels his pants being whisked off his legs and over his feet. He dangles there for a moment before being plopped unceremoniously into the tub next to him. He stands in the warm water, dazed and in pain from the sudden jostling and completely nude aside from his bandages, looking between Shirayuki, who is holding his pants and undergarments, and the farm wife, who is wiping her hands on her apron in disgust. Obi gropes absently for his shoulder as he winces at the gesture.

"You can do the rest from here?" The farm wife asks Shirayuki, handing her a towel from a small folded pile on the floor.

"Yep," Shirayuki responds, no sign of embarrassment evident in her voice or face at all anymore. "Lets get those bandages off you, Obi. Can you stand for another minute or two?"

"I'll manage somehow," he says. Mostly he's relieved that the farm wife is not going to be scrubbing the skin off his bones. He watches her as she leaves the room brusquely.

"Mm, good. Let me know if you feel lightheaded."

She wraps the towel around his hips and ties it carefully. To his surprise he's very thankful for it. It's an odd feeling to be embarrassed about his own nudity at all, but the circumstances are a bit different than usual, to say the least. This sort of intimacy is new to him; he's not used to being so… thoroughly looked after.

Shirayuki quickly sets about removing bandages. Occasionally she asks him to hold this here, or lift that away there. He winces as they peel from his tender skin, but lifts his arms so that she has better access to them. He's suddenly reminded that he smells awful. He says so.

"You can't really help that. I smelled pretty bad too when we first came here, but I got to have a bath pretty fast," Shirayuki laughs. "I would have given you a sponge bath, but your condition wasn't stable enough those first couple of nights. The temperature might have ended up hurting more than helping."

"I suppose water cools very quickly in that situation," Obi muses, imagining that it would be very difficult to transfer the water and keep it at the right temperature in a place like this.

"Yeah, you've been cold enough, I didn't want to make you any colder. Are you doing alright?"

Obi is still shaky and he does feel like he needs to sit down, but she's about done so he tells her yes, not wanting to make the whole situation even more awkward.

"Alright, they're off," Shirayuki sighs. Obi peers down at his stomach and whistles softly at his injury. Shirayuki has clearly done a good job treating it, no surprise there, but it's a nasty gash; thick at his hip and thin at his ribs, it swipes right across his stomach.

"That guy with the whip got me round my face," he recalls, rubbing a hand over his neck. "I managed to hit him but left myself open. Ha, serves me right for not paying better attention."

"I'm sure you were, Obi. It all happened suddenly," Shirayuki murmurs softly, fingers barely touching the reddened flesh around the injury. He doesn't like how guilty her expression becomes. She takes his arm and helps him sink into the water.

"That it did," he grunts, then hisses as the warm water laps at the gash. He grits his teeth and lets the water sooth over him slowly. Shirayuki carefully cups water in one hand and dumps it carefully over his abdomen, getting him used to it. The other is supporting him between his shoulder blades, fingers stroking his skin softly.

"How's it feel, Obi? A bit better?"

"Yeah, it's not stinging so much now."

Shirayuki sits on the little foot stool next to him and scoops water onto his back, rubbing slow circles into his tense muscles. He sighs and lets himself relax a bit, leaning into her touch. His eyes start to droop closed, but he realizes he ought to be making himself useful rather than nod off while his Mistress does all the work. He opens his eyes and searches around for the soap that the farm wife had. He finds it atop a set of fresh towels and takes it.

"I can do that, you just relax," Shirayuki says, reaching for the soap.

"I'm a grown man, Miss. I ought to at least be able to bathe myself," Obi argues, holding the soap out of reach.

"Fine," Shirayuki sighs. "Just be careful not to get any in your wound." Obi grunts, imagining how that might feel.

"Noted."

He scrubs under his arms and gets his chest as best he can. Shirayuki is quick to catch any soapy water running down his chest before it can get to his abdomen. Before he can get to anything else she snags the soap from him and sets to work on his back, alternating between the soap and a rough rag. She braces one hand on his chest and rubs away the grime and dried blood with a vengeance, almost as badly as he imagined the farm wife might. But it's his Mistress, not some random lady, so he puts up with it and figures it actually doesn't feel all that terrible. He leans heavily on the hand supporting him and groans.

"Go lower?" he asks, glancing at Shirayuki. She's got her concentrating face on and he's taken viciously with the want to kiss her right on her furrowed brow. The feeling is pushed aside as she obliges without a word and uses the cloth to scrape along the skin of his lower back. He sighs and scoots forward a bit, trying to give her more room. An occasional pleased hum rumbles in his chest and he starts to doze again.

"Obi." Someone grabs his nose and he scrunches his face up, opening his eyes and blinking a few times in confusion. "You fell asleep." Shirayuki smiles at him and laughs. He realizes rather quickly that Shirayuki has readjusted her position next to the tub; she has her legs leaned against the outside of the tub, on the same side that Obi is leaning against on the inside. His head is neatly resting on her lap.

"Was jus' closing my eyes, Miss," Obi informs her, sitting up with some effort and well hidden embarrassment. "Meditating."

"Of course you were," Shirayuki agrees. "I just have to wash your hair, then you're going to bed."

He's not really sure where the pitcher came from, but she's got one and she uses it to dump cooling water onto his head.

"How long did I sleep?" he asks.

"Mmm, thirty minutes?"

"I'm cold," Obi whines. "Why didn't you wake me sooner?"

"I had to clean the rest of you." She points to his legs, which must have also had blood on them. He lifts one out of the tub and watches the lukewarm water cascade off of it. He blinks slowly and puts his leg back in the water.

"Cleaned all of me?"

"Yep."

"So, even down here?" He points at his crotch, careful to keep his face deadpan.

"If you want that clean you'll do it yourself," Shirayuki snaps. Her face is looking a bit red as she lathers her hands with soap. Her fingers attack his hair a bit more viciously than they probably need to.

"That hurts," he whines.

"Does it?" Shirayuki asks, not phased by his complaints. However she does slow down and work more methodically after a moment. It feels too good to endure while conscious, so Obi droops his head toward Shirayuki, listing toward the side of the tub.

"Obi, no! Ack!" She tries to holds his head up as he lets it fall onto her shoulder. She sputters as soap gets into her mouth. Obi works very hard to hold in a chuckle.

"Stay awake this time!" She gives his head a good shove in the opposite direction and he whines in protest. "None of that. I'm rinsing your hair out so tilt your head again for me."

He does as he's told and doesn't like how the cold the water is beginning to feel. Shirayuki prompts him to stand but when he does he quickly regrets it; the bathroom has become cold as well. She helps Obi step out of the tub and tosses a towel around his shoulders before grabbing another one to work on his hair. He dries off his torso and back best he can and wraps the new towel around his waist, letting the old wet one fall to the floor with a satisfying splat. When the new towel is secure, Shirayuki sets about drying his legs.

Dressing him is it's own trial, but Obi's too tired to stand long enough for Shirayuki to get fresh bandages around him. They decide to just make do with clean pants for the time being and head back to their room. Shirayuki says letting the injury air-dry will help it anyway.

With Shirayuki tucked against his side and a slender arm wound around his waist they limp back to the guest room. Obi tries not to lean on her too heavily, but they almost stumble twice. Finally Obi flops haphazardly onto their shared bed and lets out a long regret filled groan.

"It'll hurt if you fall like that." Obi can practically hear her eyebrow raising. He turns himself over slowly and glares up at Shirayuki. She smiles at him and sets to work hefting his legs up onto the bed. He scoots up toward the pillows and settles down, wanting desperately to go to sleep.

"I have to bandage you, still," she says, ruffling his hair. "Can you sit up just a little bit longer?" He sighs and nods. She runs her fingers through his hair as he drowsily leans forward then takes his shoulders and holds him in place for a moment, letting him regain his balance.

"You know, you looked a bit like a drowned cat in there," Shirayuki says, peering up at him with a small but very smug smile. Obi is very much not in the mood for exchanging jabs, so he decides to end the banter before it begins with his secret technique, used with the very last of his waning strength.

He snatches her chin in one hand and the other hand grabs the back of her head firmly. He pulls her forward and shoves his face against her's, rubbing his prickly, stubbly cheek against her soft one. She yelps and grabs his arms, trying to get him to let go, but relentlessly he holds on and pulls back.

"My whiskers are growing in rather well though, aren't they?" Her surprised expression tells him he's won, but he gives her other cheek a quick scrub with his stubble as well. She's too shocked from the first attack to fight back this time. He lets go and surveys his handy work, satisfied with her mussed up hair and bright pink cheeks. Her befuddled expression is priceless as well. Her brow furrows and she reaches up, holding his face in both her hands. She squishes his cheeks together and rubs them in circles, pulling his face in all kinds of odd directions.

"That was pretty low Obi," she grumps at him."I'll have to put a salve all over my face." She huffs and pinches his cheeks, then lets go and grabs a set of clean bandages.

"Whiskers seem to be as effective as claws, don't they, Miss?" He holds the bandage in place as she begins to wind it carefully around him.

"I think I like you best when you're shaved," Shirayuki says to his chest. Her arms are around his waist as she passes the role of bandages between them.

"Me too," Obi sighs, lifting his arms for her.

When he dressed and dry they both snuggle down under the warm quilts. Obi wants to fall asleep immediately, but instead he feels around in the dark until he finds Shirayuki's hair. He gives it a soft ruffle.

"How're you holding up?"

"Better now that you're awake," she replies after a long moment. "I… I was scared you might not—That I…" She trails off, then sighs shakily into the darkness. "There are nightmares."

"Those are the worst." He thinks of his own, amplified by pain and fever, of her cool fingers on his cheek. How her touch was a lifeline in a storm so cold it burned. "Wake me if you're frightened; I'll be right here."

She takes the hand running through her hair and presses her cheek against his fingers. Her hand trembles and he can feel dampness against his knuckles.

Obi aches all over.

* * *

Grey light from the window prods Obi awake. He finds his mistress pressed against his side with her back to him, one cold foot pressed against his calf and the other tucked under his thigh. He's not really sure when she snuck up on him, but it's a nice surprise to wake up to, even if he's in pain.

Which he is.

Very much so, in fact.

"Shi—Miss," he croaks, trying to lift his arm to give her a shake. He's loath to discover that the limb is completely unresponsive and tingling. Also Shirayuki's head is resting on his bicep. When earth did she decide to use it as a pillow? How did he not _notice_?

"Miss!" He calls louder this time, trying to nudge her with his hip. This ends with agony however, as his hip is attached to his abdomen, which is in pain, and movement makes it more in pain. He groans.

"Ah..Obi?" Shirayuki props herself up on an elbow, freeing Obi's arm. She squints at him groggily. "You've got something on your face." She reaches out and plops a hand against his cheek only to recoil when she discovers that what she's seeing is his stubble.

"Yes Miss, I do," Obi says through his teeth. He wants desperately to laugh at her newfound hatred of his facial hair. "I'm in a lot of pain, please help?"

She blinks, understanding clearing up her sleepy features. Then she's scrambling carefully as she can out of bed and grabbing some pre-made painkillers from the nightstand. Carefully she sits herself on the edge of the bed, lifting his head to give him the medicine with water. He takes it gratefully and settles back against his pillow with an exhausted sigh.

Shirayuki crawls back into bed after that, pulling the covers up to her nose. At first there's a painfully cold space between them, but Shirayuki fidgets every few minutes and creeps closer. Eventually she turns onto her side to face him. He can feel the heat of her body against his side.

After a few moments her hand reaches out to him, then hesitates before finding its way to his hair. It's a very slow motion, so light he almost can't feel it, and so soft it might be a feather trailing across his temple. He tilts his head toward her cautiously and her fingers press more firmly against him. A cool thumb traces his eyebrow, then nails slide past his hairline and behind his hear.

"Did you sleep okay?" Her voice is softer than her touch. Almost breathed rather than spoken.

"Mhm." His eyelids are unbearably heavy and he can't manage anything more than a sigh of contentment.

"Good." He can feel her breath on his cheek.

* * *

When he opens his eyes the room is bright and there is a child he does not know sitting in the place where Shirayuki before. She's a little thing with large brown eyes and hair to match. With the sort of speed only a child could have, she lunges forward and vaults over his chest and off the bed. The door slams closed before Obi is able to register what has happened.

Moments later the door creaks open. Obi sits up slowly and glowers at the door, trying to see just what he's up against. The brown haired girl pokes her head in, glares at him, then slips out, then back in again. This time she eyes him fearfully and slams the door practically on her nose.

There's the sound of children squabbling, then feet pattering around on wood, then nothing. Thoroughly confused, Obi decides to venture from his bed and see just what this little girl is up to. He staggers a bit at first, lightheaded, but finds his feet and pokes his head out the door in much the same fashion as the little intruder. He's not surprised to find her staring wide-eyed at him from around the corner of a long hallway.

"One."

She runs, but the sound of two sets of feet, accompanied by a shrill squeal, echoes down the hallway. He supposes he's feeling well enough for this game, so he follows the high pitched giggling to the other end of the hallway and peers around.

There's a room around this corner and the door is ajar, swinging inwards. There's a whimper, some shushing noises, then the little girl goes flying past him, slamming the door on her way out. He makes to grab her but her expression is the sort that says, ' _I am terrified_ ' rather than, ' _I am playing_ '.

Taken aback, Obi lets her dart past him. She rounds the corner and thumps down the stairs. Obi does not like terrified children, so he's about to go after her and make sure she's alright, but the door swings back open and—

"Two…?" Obi squints down at the same little girl from before. She glowers up at him.

"Shina's a baby," the little girl states. "You're not _that_ scary."

Ah, twins. The worst to deal with. Obi recalls a bothersome set in Tanbarun. At least these girls are not royal; hopefully they're not snoopy matchmakers either. Obi leans against the wall, deciding he's too tired for more games. He hates scaring kids.

"You ought to be nice to her, not everyone likes to play hide-and-seek with strangers," Obi chastises her. "And I'm not scary at all, I'm devilishly handsome."

"You're a scruffy hoodlum. Mamma said so." Ouch. He wonders what the farm wife's got against him now. He bathed for her, didn't he?

"What's your name?" Obi asks, deciding to ignore the jab.

"Sana. My sister's Shina and she's younger than me," Sana informs him.

"Well I'm Obi," he introduces himself. He's about to tell Sana that they ought to find Shina and apologize, but she starts speaking before he can.

"I'm gonna call you Scruffy, like our dog," Sana says, nodding seriously to herself. "He's dead now."

Obi takes a deep breath.

Sana marches past him and heads back down the hallway.

"C'mon, Scruffy," she calls over her shoulder.

"I'm going back to bed."

* * *

It doesn't take long for Shirayuki to find her way up to their room. She's holding a plate of food and has one of the twins in tow. He glances down at the little girl, who clings to Shirayuki's apron and eyes him pensively. She must be Shina.

He puts on his warmest smile and waves at her, determined to get the fearful child to like him.

"See Shina?" Shirayuki says gently. "Obi's not so bad, is he?"

Shina doesn't say anything in return, just hides behind Shirayuki's skirts.

"All the blood frightened her when we first got here," Shirayuki explains to Obi, patting Shina's head.

"Aww, I'm not bloody any more, Shina," Obi says, beckoning her over. "Your mom made me take a bath." He pushes the covers off of his chest and reveals a clean shirt underneath, no blood in sight. Shina goes up on her tip-toes to peer at him, but buries her face in Shirayuki's thigh after only a small peek.

"Not scary at all, right?" Shirayuki prompts. Shina shakes her head 'no' against Shirayuki's leg.

"He's tall," she squeaks, small voice muffled in the fabric. Obi fights to keep his mouth in a straight line. How fearsome he is, the whole six feet of him, bedridden and surviving on painkillers.

"Perhaps I loom a bit too much when I'm seeking," he says with a small chuckle. "Your sister likes hide-and-seek, doesn't she?" Shina looks up at him squarely and nods.

"I said 'no' but she dragged me upstairs anyway. She's mean!"

"Very. I'll pinch her cheeks for you if she's mean again," Obi promises. He wants revenge for being called 'Scruffy'. Shina nods and holds out a pinky for him to take. They make their promise and Obi gives her a wide grin. Shina hides her face in Shirayuki's skirts again, but she's smiling this time.

"You can go, Shina. Tell your mother you said hello to Obi like she asked," Shirayuki runs a hand through the little girl's bangs before she scampers off.

"We're gonna be best friends by the time we have to leave," Obi tells Shirayuki. "Best friends."

* * *

Sana visits Obi in small bursts, always scrambling into the room like a squirrel possessed by a demon, shouting about some event that probably took place only moments before she decided to tell him about it. She goes just as quickly as she comes, promising to come back with more updates.

Shina stays for longer amounts of time, usually creeping in with more caution than entirely necessary. Obi's made it a habit to listen for her little feet on the floorboards so that he can invite her in; she enters much more readily with an invitation. Usually she has odd questions to ask, like how fast he can climb a tree, or if he really ate a snake once like Sana says, but occasionally she makes herself comfy on the quilts to take a nap against the warmth of his leg.

Obi supposes she gets no peace with Sana dragging her everywhere and back. He'd want to take a nap too with Sana as his sibling.

As it turns out, the twins have an older brother. He's about nine years old, while the twins are seven, and he follows Shirayuki around like a lost puppy. His name is Tavo and he is thoroughly convinced that Obi is his rival. Obi goes along with it, partially because it's funny and partially because it annoys Shirayuki. Sometimes, when she's not too frazzled with Sana's shenanigans or swamped with chores, Obi will refer to her as 'my darling', just to get a rise out of Tavo.

This is all well and good, sometimes Shirayuki even refers to him as 'dearest', (though usually only to tell him to shut up) but the twins, ever curious, pick up on it.

Apparently he and his Mistress are actually married.

"You share a bed," Sana explains to him. "Only mamas and papas share beds. And mamas and papas are married." She pauses, brow furrowed. "Where is your baby?"

Obi kicks her off the bed.

* * *

Yuuko, the farm wife, gives Obi a pointed look. The twins are sitting on his feet, legs wrapped around his ankles. They peer up at their mother with innocent eyes, but she does not buy it.

"He can't cut vegetables when you're clinging to him like that," she informs the girls. Shirayuki snickers from the table. He imagines that Tavo, who is sitting next to her, helping her open jarred herbs and grind them for use, is making a rude face at his sisters.

"Scruffy doesn't gotta move to do that," Sana argues. Shina rolls off immediately.

"I have a knife you know. Want to lose a pigtail?"

"Are you gonna stick it to your face so you actually have a beard like Papa's?"

Shirayuki is not containing her laughter very well and Tavo doesn't bother to try. Even Yuuko snorts.

"Shina, get off him and help your brother and Shirayuki with the herbs." Yuuko has the sort of voice that commands, even when it is level and calm. Sana scrambles off, saying she's got to check on her snowman and beckoning for Shina to follow.

" _I'm_ helping Shirayuki, Mama," Tavo says, sounding more defensive than he really needs to. "Those girls aren't responsible at all, but I'm—"

"Darling," Obi calls over to Shirayuki, before Tavo can start talking about how he's going to be a great husband for Shirayuki one day. "Why don't we switch jobs? I'm feeling a bit light-headed."

Tavo throws himself out the door after his sisters, not wanting to help Obi grind herbs and too young to help with vegetables, before Shirayuki can even reply.

"Usually he argues back," Obi says, concerned. Maybe he shouldn't have interrupted the kid.

"I don't think he was enjoying helping me as much as he said he was," Shirayuki laughs, gazing at the door the kids ran through. She turns to Obi and smiles at him, partially smug, but there's something warm there too.

"Crushing herbs is his least favorite job," Yuuko informs them, shaking her head with a small laugh.

"Ah. I lost this round, then."

"That you did."

* * *

It is nighttime, and though the storm has passed the wind has picked up and howls angrily through the icy air, tugging at the panes of the frosted windows, trying to take back its victims who were miraculously saved.

Obi has been put carefully to bed, given fresh bandages and medicine and covered in heavy quilts. Shirayuki refuses to take a bath or change from his clothes. She's become desperate and useless. She won't even accept food. At this point all she can do is hold his hand and wait.

His fever and pain swell like the stormy oceans of Tanbarun, then slowly begin to ebb.

Shirayuki lays next to Obi, who's breath is slowing and body cooling. She watches as his flushed and feverish cheeks become pallid like bone or snow or ash. There's blood on the bed beneath her, blood in the snow where the bandit fell—

Green eyes open to darkness, damp with tears. She takes a few shuddering breaths and reaches for Obi. Carefully she lays a trembling hand on his chest. He's warm. His heart beats slowly and steadily in sleep. She relaxes her hand, letting it rest there, letting it rise and fall with his breathing till it stops trembling.

She places her hand against her own chest, feels her own quick and fluttery pulse, then turns on her side and tucks her head against his shoulder, nuzzles her nose against his arm.

Sleep comes easily this time, even when she allows so little contact.

* * *

Shirayuki watches as Obi wonders through the snow after the twins. Tavo is walking along beside him, chest puffed in that way that it does when he's bragging. When the road is cleared and she and Obi can leave, she'll miss him, even if he follows her around a little more than she likes.

Sana gives Obi's arm a hard yank, putting her full weight into it. She cringes, worried his stitches will be jostled, but Obi lifts the little girl easily, spins her a few times, (she deliberately attempts to kick her brother, who dives out of the way) then tosses her into a snow drift effortlessly.

Shina struggles through the snow from where she was playing and reaches for his other hand wanting him to do the same to her. However instead of tossing her he swings her into the snowdrift so that she lands more gently, never letting go of her little gloved hands.

A snowball pelts him square in the nose, delivered lovingly from Sana at the top of the well-trodden drift.

All three children's laughter rings through the air, so loud she can hear it from where she watches inside.

Obi steps back slowly and wipes the snow from his face, looking devious. He catches Tavo by the hood of his coat and shoves a handful of snow under his scarf. The boy howls and scrambles up the drift, where he and Sana frantically pack snowballs while Obi grabs Shina and runs with her to another drift close by to do the same.

"Now that he can stay on his feet, he's good at keeping the kids busy," Yuuko observes as she peers out the window. She's holding a box of dried vegetables and has a smile on her face to match Shirayuki's.

"He's good with them," Shirayuki tells her. "Ever since we've met, he's been like this." Even Ryuu warmed up to Obi so quickly in the beginning. The man has a _way,_ whatever it is. He's a magnet for them.

"That's a good trait to look for when you pick a husband." Yuuko says it casually, but Shirayuki can detect a hint of suggestion in there.

"Is it?" Shirayuki wonders, resting her cheek in her hand as she leans against the sill.

"Most say that a happy wife makes a happy home, but happy children make it all the better," Yuuko points out the window. "Someone who can make children happy is one to keep around, yes?"

"Oh, yes." It comes out as almost a sigh, breath fogging the glass. Yuuko chuckles and sets the box on the counter, beckoning Shirayuki over to help her prepare them for tonight's dinner.

* * *

The man who found Shirayuki and Obi stranded in the cabin is named Toya. He stumbles into the farm house that evening, just as Yuuko and Shirayuki are serving up dinner.

"Oi brats!" He calls to his kids, who leap happily into his arms. "The road's finally been cleared from here to the next town. Damn well took us long enough, didn't it?" The kids say it did, all in union. They rather missed their father, who would be gone for several days at a time.

"We'll be able to get back on the road, Miss," Obi says, sounding excited. He can't stand being cooped up for so long. Shirayuki nods in excitement, also tired of being cooped up and unable to do her work.

"Aye, and I have some celebratory rum from the other farmers to share with you for it." Toya pulls a bottle from his coat and gives it to Obi to inspect.

"Homemade?" Obi inquires.

"The best in the mountains," Toya promises

It doesn't take long for either man to get drunk, the stuff is so strong. Shirayuki wisely stays the hell away from it and helps Yuuko tuck the kids into bed. They want to stay and watch Obi and their father drink themselves stupid, but Shirayuki and Yuuko decide that's a terrible idea after Obi rants about chasing sheep through the fog for a solid fifteen minutes while the kids get ready for bed. The story makes no sense and he keeps repeating himself and changing parts, but Toya is completely enamored with the tale.

"I knew he was the sort that would harass sheep, given the chance." Yuuko mutters, expression dark.

"How could you tell?" Shirayuki asks.

"When you raise sheep as long I have, you just know." The older woman shakes her head and heads to her and her husband's room, leaving Shirayuki to wonder.

"Miss?" Obi calls from the bottom of the staircase. "Where'd you go?"

"I'm here, Obi," Shirayuki calls back, trying not to laugh at the pile of limbs and blankets her friend has become at the bottom of the staircase. He waves to her, face flushed and partially covered by a quilt.

"Come get worm—warmed up, Miss" he stutters, then laughs at his own mistake. It's a deep laugh that resonates from his chest. She almost wants to press her ear to him and listen to it rumble through his ribcage like thunder in the summertime.

"Lets go by the fire and get wormed up there" she tugs at the blanket while Obi laughs about worms and doesn't move. "Obi, come on!" Shirayuki plops down next to him and laughs.

"Miss, the fire is dangerous," Obi tells her, all serious. "It jumps—" He lurches forward and bundles her in his arms. They wind like vices around her. She's startled by how his body feels against her's. She didn't know that she could become so hot so quickly.

Obi is warm and he smells like rum. His chest is broad and firm and she wonders at just how _safe_ it feels to be pressed snugly against him like this. She rather wishes he wasn't drunk though.

"Are you the fire, Obi?"

"Hmmm," he thinks, making a throaty, contemplative noise that almost sounds like a moan. He nuzzles her temple with his nose and says, "I might be."

* * *

Another day of playing with the children and recovering from hangovers leaves their total lost traveling time at exactly three weeks.

The kids cry when Obi makes the announcement to them and Yuuko gives them both packs of food and warm clothes for their trip. Toya readies his wagon, the same one he pulled Obi and Shirayuki out of the blizzard with, and they set off at dawn for the town they had originally been trying to get to.

When they're dropped off at the inn, Toya gives them each a hug.

"Come visit us in the spring," he says, ruffling Shirayuki's hair and patting Obi roughly on the back. "My kids love you guys, you got to promise me."

"We promise," Shirayuki says.

"Definitely," Obi agrees.

"Good," Toya says, then turns his wagon around and heads back up the mountain.

"We ought to send Zen a letter and let him know what happened," Shirayuki muses when Toya is out of sight. They're standing in the snow outside of the inn, looking at the blue sky and white mountains surrounding them. It's a beautiful monochromatic scape.

"There's lots to tell him, isn't there?" Obi laughs. "Let's leave out the part where I was drunk, hmm? He'll scold me."

"He'll scold you no matter what," Shirayuki tells him as she turns to go inside, having seen enough of snow for her lifetime, thank you. Obi follows her with an overdramatic sigh.

"Obi?" she asks, uncertain.

"What is it, Miss?"

"What exactly made you think a sheep was a thunder god, when you were telling that story the other night?"

"Did I say that?"

"You did. It's been bothering me." Shirayuki shakes her head as she takes the key to their room. "Why were you chasing sheep in the first place?"

"I don't think I've ever chased any sheep, Miss. I don't remember doing anything like that." The look he gives her is honestly confused. She stares at him, incredulous.

"Lets go take a nap. I'm tired."

"That sounds like a good idea, Miss."


End file.
